What Language Should I Learn Choosing Between the Most Used Languages in the World

What Language Should I Learn Choosing Between the Most Used Languages in the World What Language Should I Learn? Choosing Between the Most Used Languages in the World Chocolate cake or creme brulee?Vacation to the mountains or the beach?Puppy or adorable mini hedgehog?Ever had to make a decision between equally awesome options?If youre a language learner or aspiring language learner, then you probably know what Im talking about.How can you choose between all the exciting, challenging and beautiful languages out there?Lets make things a little easier for you.There are certain languages that are widely used not only across the globe, but also across key industries and fields.In this post, well show you the  worlds most used languages for business, academia, travel and more.Line these up with your own goals and youll be on the path to foreign language fluency.As for your dessert, vacation or pet decisions thats still up to you. How to Choose the Language Thats Most Useful to YouWhen choosing which foreign language is best for you, ask yourself, whats your learning purpose?Do you love to travel? Are you trying to broaden your career options? Are you an academic or a politician? Do you just want to be able to communicate with the widest group of people?When you first start learning a foreign language, your instinct might be to focus on one of the worlds most common ones. But there may be other languages that are primarily used in, say, your professional industry or the places youd love to visit.Answering the questions above will help you narrow your options as you explore the worlds most used languages.What Language Should I Learn? Choosing Between the Most Used Languages in the WorldIn the list below, well start with the most used languages in the traditional senseâ€"the languages that most people speak across the world.Then well explore some languages that might not have as many speakers, but are commonly used within specific categories.Well also give you tips for studying and key facets of each language to look out for. But for all of these languages, its smart to get a strong dictionary for vocabulary building and try a cou rse or textbook for grammar study.Its also a good idea to start listening to natives using the language as soon as possible. FluentU is a great tool for thisâ€"it provides real-world videos such as movie clips, news reports, inspiring talks and more in your target language.The videos are organized beginner to advanced and come with interactive captions, flashcards and exercises to help you understand and develop your skills as you watch. There are also built-in progress tracking tools to keep you motivated and moving toward fluency.You can hear your target language authentically in a variety of contexts, all from your computer or mobile device. Many of the worlds most used languages are included, such as English, Mandarin, Russian and more.Note: all speaker counts for the languages below  are from Ethnologue unless indicated otherwise.The Big Three Most Used Languages InternationallyThere are three languages that top the list when we talk about the most used languages around the wor ld.  It goes without saying that any of these options will allow you to communicate in numerous countries and a variety of contexts, from personal to professional.Mandarin Chinese, for example, has 898 million native speakers. Its a useful choice for travel, business and academics.Then theres English, with 372 million native speakers. English is useful all over the globe, particularly in the world of business. Its unique because its got four times as many second-language speakers as native speakers.Spanish has 437 million native speakers and is steadily growing in popularity for both its global relevance and its cultural significance.These three languages are all great second learning options, but since they so comfortably fit a wide range of categories, were mentioning them here first and focusing on others for the remainder of the article.Most Used Languages for BusinessArabicThe Middle East is a hotbed of development in oil, infrastructure and real estate. Learning to speak Arabi c will help any professional wanting to work in those industries.Many consider Arabic a difficult language to learn. The grammar is immensely complex and it requires students to learn a new alphabet and sentence structure rules. Pronunciation is also very important and you may need to learn a number of totally new sounds.But with 295 million native speakers, itll be worth the investment if it aligns with your business goals.Learning tip:  Students wishing to pursue Arabic will want lots of writing and vocabulary practice as they learn the alphabet. A technique called shadowing can also be helpful to master new soundsâ€"just listen to Arabic audio and then try to mimic the speech in real time on repeat listens.PortugueseYou might not be aware that Portuguese is the official language of Brazil! Recent sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup have helped put Portuguese on the map as a relevant language for commerce and economic development.Portuguese has 219 million native s peakers and is quickly becoming relevant as more businesses begin exploring investment opportunities in resource-rich South America.Learning tip:  There are two major types of Portuguese you might be interested in learning: Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese. Once youve picked a dialect, make sure your learning resources cater to it.Most Used Languages in Politics?The UN named six official languages as the global standard for clear, effective communication between countries. These are Arabic, Russian, English, Chinese, Spanish and French.Therefore each of these languages will be helpful for international politics, but well focus on one thats increasingly relevant to todays global economy and diplomacy: Russian.RussianFuture diplomats, take note! With 154 million native speakers, Russian is an influential language with the potential to shape future political and trade agreements.Russia can be seen throughout history as a powerful player in international relations. Its rich in natural resources that make it competitive for energy and oil ventures.As one of the top oil-producing countries, Russia performs consistently among or near the top ten global economies.Learning tip:  Start your Russian journey by mastering the alphabet and pronunciation. Then move on to Russians somewhat complicated case system.Most Used Languages for TravelFrenchFrances colonial history has contributed to the widespread use of French throughout the world. With 220 million native speakers across 29 countries, French is the way to go if you want the widest array of communication options abroad.Countries that you can navigate with French skills include everything from Morocco to Canada to Senegal to Belgium to (of course) France.Learning tip: If you dont already speak a Romance language, youll first want to acquaint yourself with the grammatical gender system in French.Every noun is either masculine or feminineâ€"get a French pocket dictionary and commit to memorizing the gender a long with the definition of any new vocabulary word.Most Used Languages in Academia?The academic community involves many languages, but there are some that have a larger following than others.English is todays  lingua franca of the scientific community. Chinese and Russian are also widely used among scholars and have an array of political and economic benefits.But you may not realize German is a versatile and practical language to learn for communication with other researchers and academics.GermanGerman is an excellent choice for academics! There are 77 million native speakers and historically its a major language for research publicationsâ€"despite being overtaken by English in the 20th century.Today, Germany is home to many international corporations and a  world leader in engineering, science and technology.German skills are also extremely valuable for anyone studying philosophy, due to the number of influential writings from major German philosophers.Learning tip:  Understanding the grammar and sentence structure is very important for learning German, so look for courses that offer lots of sentence practice and good grammar coverage. Verbs are another tricky part of this learning process and you might consider flashcards to help you memorize the various uses and forms.When you realize youre ready to learn a new language, its important to think about what youll be using it for to ensure you get the best return on investment! Whether youre looking to learn a new language for fun or youre about to move across the world to start a new job, theres a language for every need and purpose.